My Nonprofit Reviews

People who support Dogs For Better Lives should take value in the fact that their money and donated volunteer hours enhances the quality of life for people who are lucky enough to be partnered with a DBL-trained dog. The behind the scenes selection process, the puppy raisers and trainers are all dependent on donations. Donations for which there are hundreds of competing service-oriented groups. The degree of detail in the DBL dog selection process, the hundreds of hours of professional training, the ADI accreditation and the thorough client selection process are all showcased by the growing number of working teams across the United States. And, for a DBL team, it doesn't end at placement - donations and volunteer efforts provide for the continued relationship between the dog, their handler and DBL for the life of the dog. Rare are the organizations with that life-long commitment and the resources and willingness to keep it up.

Dogs for Better Lives (DBL) is one of the best charity organizations I have encountered - as a donor, and as a end-user. While i've made small gifts of money and my personal time to DBL, I am also the recipient of one of their trained assistance dogs. Though you expect the background training and the good deployment service, what one gets with DBL which is not always apparent with other organizations is a life time of commitment to dogs they deploy and to their handlers. And because they are centralized with two campus locations but serve the United States (CONUS) DBL has perfected the art of communications. They get in touch and stay in touch with donors - even small contributors as I have been. They introduce their projects, they flesh out the details and they explain how they spend the money they receive. Too many organizations just paint a glowing big picture, DBL gives donors the nuts and bolts.
They practice the same kind of communication skills with dog handlers. Ask a trainer a question remotely - you get an answer. You get an invitation to comment back and you're likely going to get a follow-on phone call - sometimes from a training supervisor, perhaps from a board member. And if you - the dog handler - feels the need, there are video training review sessions available which are priceless to me.
All of this work is what I think puts DBL near the chart top in charitable organizations, likely not just on the West Coast, but nationwide. A good service, provided by a strong, committed staff and offered to end-users at zero cost - that's what makes DBL stand out in my book.